By mahir | September 20, 2010

Meatless Monday – The Kind of Vegetarian that Eats Kale

The first job that I ever had was at a vegetarian grocery store and macrobiotic cafe in a hip neighborhood of Philadelphia. I was sixteen years old and just settling into my Doc Martin’s and teen angst attitude. Thutete hot bar in the cafe at the back of the store was, unlike the cold bar, not self serve. It was my job to work the hot bar for all the hungry vegetarian diners.Â I served the pureed sweet potato, the short grain brown rice, the tofu casserole, the miso soup, and the kale. Yuck, kale! Â I always thought to myself when a customer would ask for it.Â I was a vegetarian at the time but not the kind of vegetarian that ate kale.Â I was basically a kid so I ate French fries and drank milkshakes. Because I was a kid and an opinionated, angsty one I considered anyone that ate kale bizarre and not to be trusted.Â After plopping a steamy mound of kale onto your plate if you insisted I add more, I was put over the deep end with disgust. You want to eat two icky piles of kale? Suffice it to say that I barely lasted a week at my first job.

By mahir | September 3, 2010

For our second installment of the “Celebrity Interview” section, I’m super excited to share with you all, my afternoon with Venus Williams. She stopped by to chat about her latest book called “Come to Win” and to discuss her thoughts on food.

By mahir | September 2, 2010

This week’s photos of Food & People were taken by Sheryl Estrada in Florida, USA. Below is what Sheryl has to say about the photos and her experience of Florida, USA.

Each Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to noon there’s a farmer’s market in Fort Pierce, a South Florida city, which is a part of Florida’s Treasure Coast. Many Spanish galleons wrecked off of the coast, including those of the 1715 Spanish fleet, leaving behind treasures that have been recovered in the past 50 years — thus the name. I’ve never found any gold sparkling in the waters, but for me, this farmer’s market is gold. I find it unique, as it not only offers fresh fruit and vegetables, but atmosphere. There’s always a band performing, sometimes causing visitors to dance while sipping a smoothie or eating a kettle corn; the food vendors are varied. Set adjacent to the Indian River Lagoon, you get a nice view. It’s also in Historic Downtown Fort Pierce, where you can see an old-fashioned building or two. A mix of locals and vacationers, you’ll hear a Boston accent one minute, the next, a Southern accent. Everyone is upbeat, experiencing what markets used to be before they became “super.”

By mahir | August 26, 2010

This week’s photos of Food & People were taken by Samantha Solis in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Below is what Samantha has to say about the photos and her experience of Khada, Bangladesh.

I attended pre-wedding ceremonies. The photosÂ show a ritual of feeding the soon to be bride sweets and putting some turmeric on her forehead to give her your blessings. The bride also puts turmeric on ones forehead.

The photos are of the Shaheed Minar monument that commemorates the protesters that were killed for wanting equal recognition for Bangla which is now known as the Language Movement.

There are also photos of the Buddhist Monastery that I thought was so beautiful! It was the best surprise I got during the whole summer at Bangladesh. My friend and her family planned this trip because I was about to be leaving that very weekend. They did warn me a week ahead that they would be taking me somewhere. So I packed my things and got ready for the 10 hours drive. I’m so glad they didn’t tell me exactly where. It made it much more beautiful the experience.

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By Suzannah Schneider

Meet the Team

Whether it’s finding the best goat tacos in LA, spotting a well-worn vintage bag in Sweden, or interviewing the “crab man” selling seafood on a corner in Harlem, we tell stories seen from Chef Marcus Samuelsson‘s point of view. MarcusSamuelsson.com strives to create conversations about food, nutrition, culture, art, and design. We want to find Read More